PENN STATE DICKINSON LAW STUDENTS MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS AT THIRD ANNUAL PATHWAY DAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
April 2025 — Fifteen Penn State Dickinson Law students from the Carlisle and University Park locations recently traveled to Washington, D.C., for the third annual Pathway Day event, which introduces students to the energy and environmental practice. Four alumni plan the event hosted by the Penn State Dickinson Law Career Services Office.
The day included a trip to the Capitol Complex, three panels, lunch at K&L Gates, and even a brief White House sighting.
The program is free to students and receives support from the Law School’s Alumni and Development team, faculty, alumni colleagues, and friends of Penn State Dickinson Law with experience in the energy and environmental fields. Financial backing comes from the Brian J. Clark ’85 Energy and Environmental Law Program Support Fund, which Clark endowed in 2020 to support the next generation of lawyers to navigate the current energy transition, and the Kathy L. Pape Water Law Program Support Fund, which Kathy Pape ’78 endowed in 2023 to educate and cultivate future water law leaders, lawyers, lobbyists, and policymakers in the private and public sectors.
“Pathway Day offers a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with very successful individuals who want to share their expertise, contacts, and resources with our students,” said Penn State Dickinson Law Director of Career Services Tom Lee. “The practitioners enjoy the enthusiasm our students bring each year. Seeing the new talent coming into the profession is inspiring.”
The Pathway Day planning committee includes Clark as well as Denise Foster Cronin ’97, vice president of federal and RTO regulatory affairs at East Kentucky Power Cooperative; Larry Gasteiger ’89, executive director of the nonprofit trade association WIRES; and David Raphael '94, a partner in the environmental, land, and natural resources practice of K&L Gates.
As with any great program, the planning process for the next year starts as soon as the current event finishes, with the committee focusing on ways to improve upon the first two years. “We try to make modifications to the program based on student feedback,” said Clark, president of BCK Strategies LLC and formerly a partner and head of the Environmental Practice Group at a major law firm. “This year, for example, we got on a Zoom with the students ahead of time for the first time and gave them some details on what they should be doing to prepare for the day.”
A day in the nation’s capital
The day began bright and early, with the bus departing from the Penn State Dickinson Law Carlisle location at 6 a.m. on March 20. After enjoying a late breakfast at the Rayburn Building at the Capitol Complex, students heard from four presenters. Nikki Roy, energy policy advisor in the office of Rep. Sean Casten, delivered the first session, and the second featured Pamela Quinlan, principal at GQS New Energy Strategies; Mike Reynold ’05, senior vice president at McGuire Woods Consulting; and Todd Snitchler, CEO of Electric Power Supply Association.
Next, students rode by bus to lunch at K&L Gates, where they listened to a presentation by Alyse Adamson, partner at Beveridge & Diamond; Kim Frank, partner at K&L Gates; Katherine Liberty ’06, managing attorney at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); and Steve Solow, principal at Solow PLLC.
Following a brief break, the Pathway Day planners took questions from students in a panel led by Lee. The day wrapped up with a quick walk past the White House on the way to the Capital Hilton, where students attended a closing reception with alumni and presenters.
Showing students the opportunities available in energy and environmental law
Clark said that when he endowed the fund five years ago, he hoped to support programming outside of the Law School. “I really wanted to show students firsthand what opportunities are available to them in energy and environmental law and give them an up-close and personal perspective from practitioners,” said Clark.
The Pathway Day program provides a look at both private and public sector careers, reminding students that they have many choices in these fields. Clark noted that last year, FERC Chairman Mark C. Christie spoke to students. “That is probably the most important federal agency in the energy sector. And he shared that he had a private solo practice before becoming chairman. Students could see that you are not locked into one particular road to success in practicing law. There are a number of avenues, and you could change throughout your career,” said Clark.
Jasmine Gunning ’25, one of four students from the University Park location to attend Pathway Day, found that notion of leaving room for change reassuring. She enjoyed hearing firsthand about presenters’ career paths. “A lot of law students don't get their dream job right out of law school. It was nice to hear that, even though that may be the case, you can still get to that job, and once you get there, you can still be very successful,” said Gunning.
Benjamin Hill ’26, who attends the Carlisle location, worked for Pennsylvania American Water last summer. One of his research projects dealt with energy regulations and legislation in California, which piqued his interest in the energy field. He wants to pursue a career in energy and utilities and was intrigued to learn what a close-knit sector it can be, even in a large market like Washington, D.C.
“Seeing the participants talk to each other, I realized they all seem to know one another. They said it is still a small bar in D.C., and the number of people who do energy and utilities in the entire U.S. is really small compared to other practice areas, even something like tax,” said Hill.
He gained insights into the actual process of energy law, too. “Nikki Roy, the first presenter, has been working in D.C. for a long time under various administrations and with various politicians, balancing between looking at scientific information versus policy concerns and the politics that go into making decisions. It would be great if everything was just objective, like, ‘We need to do this. This is the policy benefit.’ But at the end of the day, that’s not the case,” said Hill.
Gunning liked hearing career advice from the panels. “As we finished the day, Tom Lee asked the planning committee, ‘What is one piece of advice that you would give a starting attorney?’ They all gave such great advice, mainly focused on reputation and how critical a reputation for integrity is,” said Gunning.
She welcomed the chance to practice her networking skills and meet new people. “I would highly recommend any student attend Pathway Day. Even if you are not super interested in energy, it is still a great opportunity to meet people, gain additional insight into the industry, and decide if it’s right for you,” said Gunning.
Clark echoed the value of real-world experiences for students. “You are kind of cloistered while going about your day getting through law school. Programs like this allow you to look forward and be forward-thinking as to the question of ‘What should I be doing to make myself a better lawyer going into the practice of law?’ I think that is helpful for the students,” said Clark.
The third annual Penn State Dickinson Law Pathway Day event in Washington, D.C., took place on March 20. Here are some scenes from the day.
